I know. It's been a while. I'm sorry. I wish I had a better excuse besides work, but nope. Darn real life expecting you to be a responsible adult, lol. Anyway, there's a lot going in this chapter. I condensed a couple chapters in order to help move things along a bit. Hopefully it works.
As always, your patience is much appreciated. :-)
"Oh, wow."
Angela looked back at Eric, who was carrying a box of her books. "What's wrong?"
"Nana Boo Boo has that couch."
"What do you mean?"
"That's her couch: ugly orange and brown flowers, old barn, giant wagon wheel, and the wood on the arms that was a great weapon when I was eight and beating up Cory, but terrible when I got stuck sleeping on it and forgot about the wood and smacked my head." He dropped the box to the floor and took a seat on the sofa. "Man, if I close my eyes it's like being at Nana Boo Boo's and Grandpa Poppy's again."
She made a face. "You call your grandfather Grandpa Poppy?"
"He loved things made with poppy seeds and there were always some stuck in his teeth. I didn't know him very well. He died in prison when I was just a kid." He exhaled. "So, where do you want me to put the-"
"Uh, excuse me, no, you don't get to gloss over that little fact you just dropped. Did you say your grandfather died in prison? What did he do?"
"It was some sort of embezzling, insider trading, white collar fraud type of deal. There was something with his taxes, too. I'm not sure. Nana Boo Boo is still loaded though, so obviously they didn't take all her money. But she came from a rich family, too, so who knows what happened." He shrugged. "I don't know the details. My mom doesn't talk about it. Me and Cory tried to ask her once. She got upset and left the room and then dad yelled at us. We never asked again."
"Wow, I suppose every family has their skeletons, huh? Even yours'." She felt bad for Amy, but it was almost a comfort to know that no family was perfect. Her own might be one of the extremes, but all families had their demons. "That must be Cory and Topanga," she said when the doorbell rang.
"I can't believe you invited him."
"He offered. And I wasn't going to turn down the help. Besides, he's been trying really hard to accept that we're together…well, harder than he was."
Eric thought about the other night when his brother, despite his issues with them as a couple, still came to him to get him to fix things with Angela. Maybe he was coming around. "I guess so."
"Look at it this way, now you'll only have to carry the boxes that were in your car."
"Speaking of the boxes, where do you want them?"
"Just leave the books on the dining room table for now. Clothes, shoes, and everything else will be in my room."
He scanned the first floor. "And where's that?"
"Oh, sorry, it's upstairs, second door on the left." She hurried to the door when the bell rang a second time. "Hey, guys."
"I'm telling you, Cory, it's a sign everything is going to go right with our parents tomorrow night."
"You think?"
"What street are we on?"
"Montague Street."
"And in Romeo and Juliet, what is Romeo's last name?"
"Montague."
She snapped her fingers. "Exactly. It's a sign. We are so Romeo and Juliet the universe is giving us even stronger signals than normal."
Cory was desperate for a sign that things were going to work out when her parents come to town, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. He wanted to chalk it up to wedding jitters, but it seemed bigger than that. What if they blamed him for Topanga giving up Yale and believed she was throwing away her future with him? "Okay, honey, if you think it's a sign, I do, too."
"I do. I really do."
"Then so do I."
Angela rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't have an appreciation for Shakespeare, on the contrary. Her collection of his sonnets and love poems is one of her most prized possessions. But she just didn't understand why Romeo and Juliet were used as the epitome of love and romance. Personally, she was partial to Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. "Thanks for helping move my stuff. I appreciate not having to make six trips in Eric's car."
"No problem," Topanga said with a smile. She held up the box that was in her arms. "So where do you want this?"
"You can put it in my room."
"Upstairs, right?"
She nodded. "Second door on the left. Eric just went up there with a box."
Cory waited until Topanga was at the top of the stairs before he reached for Angela's arm and pulled her out onto the porch.
"What the hell?"
"So you and Eric…"
"We talked."
"And?"
"We're working it out."
He nodded. "Good."
"Good? Seriously? Coming from you?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You spent months campaigning for me and Shawn to get back together to the point there were days I'm not sure you did anything beyond obsess about us." She crossed her arms and stared him down when he tried to protest. "Tell me I'm wrong."
"Okay, fine, I really wanted you and Shawn to get back together. He's my best friend and you're a really good friend and I saw how happy you were in the beginning. Can you blame me for wanting to go back to those days?" She continued to burn a hole through him. "But I realized I can't make you guys be together and if anyone other than Shawn treated you how he did I'd be the first one telling you to move on and find someone else," he said, remembering his conversation with Mr. Feeny a while back.
"Thank you. That's very mature of you."
"Don't get me wrong, I still think you and Shawn make way more sense that you and my brother, but I-"
"You just had to keep talking didn't you," she muttered, "couldn't end on a high note."
"-I didn't realize how happy you and Eric were until suddenly you weren't. And I hated seeing you both so miserable. So there it is," he stated, holding his hands out, "I don't get it, I don't understand it, but if you and Eric are happy then I'll try to suck it up and be happy for you."
Angela couldn't help but laugh. It was so very Cory of him and she supposed she couldn't ask for any more than that at the moment. "Well, thanks, Cor, I appreciate that."
"So, what the heck was Eric's problem? Why was he acting like a weirdo? I mean, a different version of his normal weirdo behavior."
"I-"
"I have to take more classes this summer to make sure I have enough credits graduate on time." Eric appeared in the doorway behind Angela. He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled when she leaned into him. "I took it bad."
"That's all? That's no reason to-"
"You know, these boxes won't move themselves," Topanga said as she joined everyone else on the porch. Angela had confided in her the reasons for Eric's bizarre behavior and she was quite certain he wasn't up for a million and one questions from his brother. "Do you want help unpacking, too?"
"No. This is only for the summer. I'll probably just live out of boxes for a few months. It's not like I haven't done it before."
"Cory, there's a box of books in the trunk."
"This is why you really wanted me to come, right? You wanted someone to lift the heavy boxes."
"We needed a group pack mule, and unfortunately you drew the short straw."
/
/
"It's open," Rachel called out, not looking up from her books.
"Hey." Jack stood in the doorway, awkward and unsure of what to do. Her room was mostly packed up and the luggage she was taking with her to Texas was sitting by the closet. "What's up?"
"If I ever decide to take another Saturday class again, please remind me of how annoyed I am right now."
At least it seems she still wanted to talk to him in the future. "I will."
She finally looked up when the intensity of his stare became too great. "Is there something you wanted?"
"Do you want to come with me to Mr. Feeny and Dean Bolander's wedding on Sunday?"
"Jack, I don't think-wait a minute. They're getting married?"
"That's what they said."
"But they've only been dating for a couple months."
"I guess at their age they figure why waste time. But the wedding is Sunday at two o'clock at the Matthews' home…if you want to come with me."
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
"I'm asking as a friend. That's all."
"You don't think it would confuse things for us to go together?"
"No, not so long as we're clear on where we stand."
"Are we clear?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around the room, finally focusing on a cobweb in the corner. "I don't know."
"I'm not sure a wedding is the best place to try and clarify things. Weddings…people get emotional and say and do things they might not otherwise say and do. I don't want this to be an excuse for a random wedding hookup before I go home for the summer."
"Would it really be a random hookup if we've already slept together," he said in an attempt at a joke. It went over like a lead balloon. "Sorry."
"That's okay."
"I better go." He pointed at his watch. "I have to take over at the Student Union in a half hour. I guess I…I'll see you later."
She smiled sympathetically. "It won't be this weird forever, you know?"
"I know. I wish we could fast-forward through this part though." He was almost out of her room before he turned back. "Save me a dance at the wedding at least? I promise I won't wear the shoe lifts."
"You got it."
/
/
"Cory and Topanga should be back any minute with the sandwiches." When Eric reached the kitchen he found Angela staring at the refrigerator. "What's wrong?"
She removed a piece of paper that was stuck to the appliance with a cupcake shaped magnet. "This is what Nan was going to make the night we were supposed to come over for dinner." There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't kick herself for not being able to put her issues with her mother aside long enough to visit her grandmother.
"Lasagna and garlic tater tots," he read from the list. "Wow. Sounds good."
"It would've all been made from scratch, too."
"Even the tater tots?"
Angela pointed to a recipe pinned on a bulletin board. "I told her how much you loved them."
"Cool."
"There's even a test run cake in the freezer."
"Is that code for something? I don't get it."
"Nan would always make a practice cake before a party or get together. She wanted things to be perfect. There's a chocolate fudge Bundt cake in there because she wanted things to be perfect for us." She leaned into Eric and stared at the menu through glassy eyes. "I'm sorry you didn't get to meet her. I think you would've really liked her."
"It's definitely not everyday someone planned to make me tater tots from scratch. Even my mom's never done that. How could I not like her?"
"Nan would've liked you, too."
"Well duh," he teased, trying to keep the mood light. When Angela didn't respond he turned her around so they were facing each other. "Are you okay?"
"It's more difficult being in this house again than I thought it would be." She didn't fight it when he pulled her close and hugged her tightly to his chest. "And I haven't even let myself think about my mom or the fact that she grew up here and hers' and her kids' pictures are up on the walls and mantle right next to mine." Did Nan hide the photos when she was around? She had to have kept them someplace. Angela, like any other teenager, could be wrapped up in herself and her own issues at times but she's sure she would've noticed the pictures while she was living here.
"Just because I got stupid and shut you out and stopped talking I don't want you to think you can't trust me. Let me know when you're ready to think about your mom and your brother and sister."
She moved away from him. "Don't call them that. They're not."
"But, Angela-"
"No." She shook her head and briefly covered her ears. "I'm an only child." Deep down she knew it was childish and immature, a truth she couldn't hide from forever- but in the moment it was the only way she could cope.
"Okay," he relented. "Let me know when you're ready to think- or talk- about them."
"I will."
"I mean it. I want to be here for you. In fact, if you want me to stay tonight I can-"
"Aunt Lois is coming over after she gets out of work."
"Oh."
"I'll call you if I can't sleep though. As annoying as it is, I have trouble sleeping without you."
"Ditto, even if you do lie on my arm until it goes numb."
/
"Topanga, we should get going if we want to make the movie on time."
"But it doesn't start for forty-five minutes. It won't take that long to reach the theater."
"Hello! Have you met me? We need time to get there, order our snacks, watch the previews, and leave enough time for a bathroom break before the movie starts."
"Or we could live dangerously for once and get there five minutes before it starts."
"And risk ending up with the dreaded front row seats? I don't think so. My neck would be wrecked for days."
Topanga, sighed, resigned to her fate. "Fine, but I get to pick the candy."
"Thanks for helping me move all my stuff."
"What are friends for?"
"It was kind of fun hanging out again," Cory admitted. "We should do it again sometime."
Angela glanced at Eric. He didn't seem outwardly opposed to a double date. "You could come with us to Captain Randy's for karaoke night next weekend. They're having a contest and giving away prizes."
"Ooh, really?"
"There is a catch. You don't get to pick your songs. They surprise you."
"That could be really good or really bad."
"On the plus side, it'll be entertaining," Eric chimed in.
"Absolutely." Topanga looked to her fiancé before nodding. "So, it's a date: next weekend, karaoke."
"It will be nice after how crazy this weekend will be. We have a meeting of the parents for wedding talk tomorrow and then Mr. Feeny's wedding on Sunday. Then-"
"What?! Feeny's getting married?"
"Yeah, we saw them yesterday and they said they were getting married this Sunday at two o'clock. Mom and dad are hosting it at the house."
"Feeny's getting married on Sunday? This Sunday? The day after tomorrow Sunday?"
"You didn't know? I figured you knew before anyone."
"I should've known before everyone, even Feeny!"
"How the heck would that work?"
Eric was no longer listening to his brother. How could Feeny plan to get married without him knowing? Hell, how did he get engaged and Eric didn't know? Did he do a romantic proposal or was it boring and scholarly? Did he get a good ring? "I have to find out what's going on." He turned around to face Angela. "Are you going to be okay if I…should I stay and-"
"Go. I'll be fine. Like I said, Aunt Lois is coming over in a little while."
He pulled her close for a quick kiss before he ran for the door. "I'll call you when I know what's going on!"
/
/
"Eric, I don't know why you insisted on coming along." George pulled into a parking spot in front of a jewelry store. "I am quite capable of picking up the wedding bands by myself."
"And as your best man it's my job to make sure you pick the right ones."
"I told you I don't have a best man. Lila and I are keeping this simple. We would've done the whole thing in the middle of the afternoon at city hall, but we made the mistake of telling your parents first."
He got out of the car and followed Mr. Feeny into the jewelry store. "Just because you're keeping it simple doesn't mean it can't be special. What are you and the Dean getting, plain gold bands?"
"It's what we agreed on."
"It's so boring!" He stopped in front of a display case and admired the shiny gold, silver, and sparkly gems. "Look at all these. Get something fun."
"Do you really think a design on wedding band means anything when it comes to marriage? It doesn't. It's a minute detail…a footnote in the relationship. Lila and I could get married with nothing but twist ties from loaves of bread and it would hold no bearing on our relationship. A ring is merely a symbol."
"Trust me, if you offer the Dean a twist tie on your wedding day you're sleeping alone that night."
George sighed, exasperated. "Go wait in the car."
"Just look at the other ones and see if something special catches your eye."
"And if nothing does?"
"Then I'll shut up and watch you buy the boring gold."
"Your grandson makes a compelling argument, sir."
He glanced up at the salesperson who'd apparently been observing them from behind the counter. "He's not my grandson."
Eric smiled and threw his arm around his mentor. "Not yet. But if this marriage goes south, there's always Nana Boo Boo. She's loaded. I'd get you together with Grandma Bernice, but she's too wild for you."
"Oh, brother."
"No, Feeny, it's pretty impossible for us to become brothers. But I appreciate the thought."
"Rings please! Show me some rings."
A while later Eric was starting to give up hope. They'd looked at seemingly every ring in the store and nothing stood out to Feeny. "It's okay. We can get your boring rings and go. I won't be a pain in the ass about it anymore."
"You know, I never imagined I'd be here again."
"You've been to this store before?"
"I mean here, looking at wedding rings. I assumed after I lost Lillian that I…well let's just say I didn't envision myself at a jewelry store."
It was rare that his first wife was brought up. Eric assumed it was too painful to talk about so it was one of the few topics he didn't push. "What was Lillian's ring like?"
"She loved sparkle and had a sense of fun and whimsy, but she was a florist and worked with her hands. She didn't want something that could be wrecked. Her engagement ring had a few small diamonds embedded into the band, nothing that could get in the way at work."
"And her wedding band?"
"Gold with some floral details engraved on it," he answered, a ghost of a smile on his face. George could almost see her rings in front of him if he concentrated hard enough.
"So pretty, but practical?"
"Yes, that was Lillian in every way."
The next few minutes were spent quietly as they continued to peruse the rings. Eventually, Eric broke the silence. "That's why you spend so much time on your garden, isn't it?"
He nodded. "She loved her flowers and the garden. It's where she felt most relaxed. She said you could tell a person everything with a flower and never have to speak a word. The type of flower, color, and even the number of them would say it all."
"And she taught you how to garden?"
"No. To be honest I was never much interested in them until after she died. I admired their beauty, but I never put much thought into it. If they looked and smelled nice that was enough." He chuckled to himself, a long forgotten memory coming back to him. "She used to say I had a black thumb. I couldn't even keep a cactus alive longer than a few weeks."
"What changed?"
"About six months after her death I began to come out of my fog and took notice of the world around me. Most of her flowers were dead, though a few hardier ones were hanging on and her rose bush seemed like a lost cause. Working in her garden…preserving what she had created…it gave me a purpose and a reason to get out of bed on my worst days."
"So that rose bush in your garden is hers'? That's pretty cool."
George focused on the shimmering rings in order to keep his emotions in check. "It is. We're using two roses in the wedding."
"What do you mean?"
"Lila wants to do a rose ceremony." He briefly explained what that meant. "She suggested we use blooms from Lillian's rose bush. This way she's still a part of the ceremony and it almost feels like we have her blessing."
"I'm sure you do. I never met her, but I'm sure Lillian would want you to be happy."
"I believe she would." He stopped suddenly and pointed at the case. "There."
"You found some rings?" Eric walked closer. "Those? Really?"
"What's wrong with them?"
"They're dented. Can't you see that? Or do we need to swing by the eye doctor on the way home. You can't give the Dean dented rings. It would be just as bad as giving twist ties."
"Those aren't dented," the salesman said, offended. "It's a style. They're hammered."
"I'll take them."
"Mr. Feeny-"
"No, those rings are a perfect summarization of life and love."
He stared at the rings, hoping to see the deeper meaning, but was clueless. "How?"
"Life isn't perfect. It can beat you down and leave you a little dented."
"Hammered."
George continued, ignoring the salesman. "But it doesn't matter how dented and roughed up you get. You can still get back up again and be stronger. I'd all but given up on finding love after Lillian. Lila divorced and spent much of her life focused on raising her daughter alone and building her career. She was too world weary to try and find love. Yet despite all of our dents we found each other and found a second chance at love."
"You heard the man," Eric called out to the salesman. "He'll take the dented ones."
"Eric?"
"Yeah?"
"I'd be honored to have you as my best man on Sunday."
/
/
"That's so sweet," Angela said, having just listened to Eric recount the previous day with Mr. Feeny. "It might be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard."
"I'm happy for him…them." He settled into the cushions of the wicker couch on the front porch and hugged her closer. "It's going to be a nice wedding."
"Not to change the topic from nice things, but did you get a chance to tell your parents about your summer classes?"
"Yeah," he said, sighed. "It went about as well as you can imagine. There was lots of talk about learning to take things seriously and applying myself. Dad was pissed because it's going to affect the number of hours I can work at the store and he bypassed a couple people who applied because he thought he'd have me around more. He started ranting about being responsible."
"Are you okay?"
"I guess. They're not wrong. I blew it. I let down people who believed in me. Again. It's my fault."
"Stop beating yourself up. You had a setback. You'll fix it."
"You think?"
"I know. You just have to believe it, too." Angela closed her eyes. Between the warm breeze, the relaxing sound of crickets, and Eric's chest acting as her pillow, she was dangerously close to falling asleep. "So what are your best man duties tomorrow?"
"I just stand up there and hand Feeny the rings. Oh, there's something you should know."
"What's that?"
"His niece is going to be there."
"He's getting married. That's natural."
"I went out on a couple dates with Jessica."
"You did?"
"It was a few dates when she was in town visiting him."
"Was it serious?"
"No, but in case she said something I didn't want you to be caught off guard and think I'm hiding anything else from you."
"Thanks for telling me, but I'm sure it will be fine."
"Good. So how did things go with Aunt Lois?"
"It was fine. We talked about-"
"Angela!"
She and Eric sat up and spotted Cory getting out of a car a couple houses down from her. He then went to the passenger side and helped Topanga out. She was practically shaking and it wasn't obvious until they were coming up the porch steps that she was crying. "What happened?"
"My parents…they're…they…" She couldn't seem to force the words to come out.
"What? What's wrong with your parents?" Angela led her friend over to the couch and sat her down. "What happened?"
"They're splitting up," Cory supplied.
"No! They can't get divorced. They wouldn't do that to me."
"But-"
"If they get divorced then that means everything I've based my life around, everything I believe about love, is a lie. And that's not true. It's not," she insisted. "They just had a fight and are little confused."
"Topanga-"
"Eric, take him inside and get some water and tissues." Once they were gone Angela did the only thing she could, held her friend while she cried.
/
/
Cory peeked out from the kitchen and into the living room. He wished he was focused on the happy couple, the newly pronounced husband and wife sharing their first marital kiss, but his gaze was fixed on his fiancée. Topanga had been crying almost non-stop since last night. He'd hoped things would be better today, that her parents would say they stayed awake until all hours talking and decided to work it out. Judging by the somber looks on their faces, however, he could tell that was very much not the case.
"What?" He jumped. That's right, he'd come in here to answer the phone. "Yes, Mr. Rutherford, I'm still here. I'm sorry we haven't gotten back to you yet, but…no, no I don't think July will work for us." He took one last look out there before stepping fully in the kitchen. "Yeah, I guess…I guess we still have to think about it. Right. Thank you."
/
"Did you notice how I didn't drop the rings up there?" Eric came up behind Angela and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Pretty awesome, huh?"
"It was the highlight of the wedding." She put her hands on his arms and swayed to the music. "I'm having a hard time not thinking about Topanga. I feel so bad for her. I know what this feels like."
"Yeah, it sucks. I never knew Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence very well, but they always seemed so happy."
"Eric, oh, my gosh, it's been so long."
He turned around and saw Jessica standing behind him. "Jessica, hi. Yeah, it's been a few years. How have you been?"
"Great. Glad to be done with college, but I have to admit it's a little nerve-wracking to think about being out in the real world, you know? So, how about you? You look good. Not that that's a surprise."
Was she flirting with him when Angela was right here? "I'm keeping busy. Have you met my girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?"
"Hi," Angela said, sticking her hand in the blonde's face and wearing her best insincere smile. "I'm Angela."
"Jessica. Eric and I…we went out a few times."
"I know. He mentioned something about you."
"All good I hope."
"Of course," he said.
Jessica took a few steps back. She hadn't had a steady boyfriend in a while. She'd been so wrapped up in her final year of school there was no time. When she learned Eric would be at Uncle George's wedding she hoped they could hang out, maybe get her feet wet in the dating pool again. They'd never been serious and he was hardly a lost love, but they always had fun and she'd been hoping to have some fun with him again. But she wasn't the type to go after a guy who was already taken. "I'm going to go mingle. I'll see you around."
/
Jack leaned against the side of the house. Rachel had just left in a cab for the apartment. Sure, she said she had to finish packing, but he had eyes. He saw how awkward she was during their dance. She couldn't wait to get out of here. If they had trouble being around each other now what was it going to be like when she came back from Texas?
"You look like you could use this."
As if by magic, suddenly there was a beautiful blonde standing before him. There were two champagne glasses in one hand and a nearly full bottle in the other. "I'm not really a big drinker," he said, yet accepted her offering anyway.
"Can't hold your alcohol?"
"More like I've seen enough drunk people to know I never want to be one of them." He didn't want to mention that he wasn't twenty-one yet, wouldn't be for a few more months. It seemed like a very uncool thing to admit when a pretty girl came up to you with a drink. And it wasn't as if he'd never had a drink. Like a lot of college students he would imbibe at parties. It was seeing Shawn drunk that made him wary of what lurked in his genetics.
She nodded in understanding as she filled his glass. "I got you. But I'm not saying let's get drunk. I just want to share a glass of champagne to celebrate my uncle's wedding."
"Uncle? So that would make you…."
"I'm Jessica. Uncle George was married to my mom's sister. We stayed close even after Aunt Lillian died."
"That's nice."
"And you are?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm Jack. Jack Hunter. Your uncle was sort of my teacher. It's kind of a long story. My brother's known him forever and so has my roommate- the best man."
"You're Eric's roommate?"
"You know Eric?"
"We went out a few times when we were younger. Nothing serious, Uncle George just wanted me to hang out with some people my own age when visiting."
Somehow it made perfect sense to him that Eric dated a relative of Mr. Feeny's. "So what's wrong with your life that you're sneaking out here with a bottle of champagne?"
"There's nothing like being surrounded by love and happiness to remind you of what you don't quite have in your own life."
"I hear that."
"So what's your sob story? Why are you hiding out here?"
"Pretty much the same as you, there was a little too much love and happiness going on in there." Jack held up his glass. "How about a toast?"
"To what?"
"The love and happiness of other people and to us-"
"Us?"
"A toast to new friends."
Jessica smiled before bringing her glass to meet his. "To new friends."
/
Cory entered his old room and tossed his tie on the floor. He just got back from dropping Topanga off at her Aunt Prue's house. She couldn't take being at the wedding any longer. He offered to stay with her and, to his surprise, her aunt seemed to encourage it, but Topanga insisted on being alone. He couldn't blame her for feeling off kilter, but he wanted to support her. When he tried to imagine how he would feel if it was his parents divorcing he almost threw up.
He went to window to check out the party and smiled a bittersweet smile at what he saw. His parents were locked in an embrace and dancing to the music. In a perfect world, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence would be there, too. A few feet away from his parents were the newlyweds. Cory was certain he had never seen Mr. Feeny as happy as he was today. No one deserved it more. There were a few other people out there as well and though he'd been introduced earlier, today had been such a mess damned if he could remember their names.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Eric and Angela. Like most others, they, too, were dancing. He didn't know what they were talking about, but their conversation was punctuated with lots of laughter. How, out of their group of friends, were they the only ones getting any enjoyment out of this day? Shawn bailed right after the vows and Rachel left not long after. Jack was…well, no one was sure where Jack was, but Cory assumed he went home.
Suddenly the cries of his baby brother could be heard. He stuck his head out the window and told his parents he would get him. The only response he received was a thumbs up from his dad.
"Hang on, little brother," he mumbled, "I'm coming."
Cory was passing the bathroom when the door opened and Jack came stumbling out. His clothes were disheveled and there was lipstick around his mouth. "What were you doing in my parents' bathroom?"
"I-uh…I…it's a bathroom. What do you think?"
"Is that a hickey," he asked, pointing at Jack's neck.
"You should probably check the baby."
He was right. If the crying went on much longer his mom was sure to come up. "Yeah…fine," he said, watching as Jack continued down the hall.
Cory had just reached Josh's room when he heard the bathroom door open again. This time Mr. Feeny's niece exited, fixing her clothes as she went.